We, as Art V students, have heard the phrase 'Wabi Sabi' before. In this lecture, that phrase was broken down and we learned the real meaning. Wabi is the key aesthetic beauty principle in Japan, based on the Shinto belief system. Basically, they wanted to have the natural look with all the dimples, cracks, etc. This was a very different belief to many Western aesthetics that valued perfection in everything. There are three main aspects to Wabi
1. simple/unpretentious (one of poverty and disappointment 2. imperfect/irregular (to be incomplete is more beautiful than to be complete, a deeper beauty in the blemishes) 3. austere/stark (a desolate cold winter scene) Sabi is the lonely beauty that is tinged with a sadness or melancholy, and refers to ability to have the capacity to be aware of your surroundings and have an experience with them. We also learned about Yugen, which was an important Buddhist idea. It refers to a sense of mystery or depth into feeling and before you are fully aware it moves on. Tanizaki, an important Japanese novelist, was also discussed. In many of his works he juxtaposed traditional Japanese men and women to the traditional men and women in the west. He was quick to respond to what was occurring around him, which was a lot considering it was a war period. He responded to the question, "What makes us unique as Japanese people?" with his works. He often wrote about vulgar topics and compared them to the classic aesthetics and glorified them. Japanese aesthetics have always been very interesting to learn about. I feel like there is not a similar subject to compare to in American art history which makes the topic very intriguing. I feel like most of this lecture was review, but it is always nice to get an art history refresher from the beginning of my art career at Maggie Walker.
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Julianne
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